Something Real
by CharmedBec
Summary: ‘19:30 Tonight. Wear something pretty.’ Danny and Lindsay’s first proper date is a night of revelation for them both…


**SOMETHING REAL**

**Disclaimer: **The characters in CSI: New York do not belong to me. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.

**Summary: **'_19.30 Tonight. Wear something pretty.'_ Danny and Lindsay's first proper date is a night of revelation for them both…

**Notes: **Hi! A CSI: NY D/L one-shot for you. This is my take on why it took Danny and Lindsay so long to get it properly together after 'Sleight of Hand.' Mainly set after the Season 3 episode: 'A Daze of Wine and Roaches,' but there's a brief pre-Snow Day epilogue as well. There are also allusions to the Season 2 episodes, 'Risk' and the one with the bug eating – can't remember what it was called!

Anyway, enough waffle, on with the story…

**OOOOOO**

Lindsay Monroe stood in front of her bathroom mirror contemplating her reflection in the shiny glass. Her honey-brown hair hung in wet, wavy tendrils around her pretty face, while her warm, brown eyes were alight with excited anticipation.

She felt like a teenager preparing for her first date, which she supposed in a way she was. Something inside of her had shifted since her move from Montana to New York eighteen months before. She'd thrown off the stifling yoke of her past and started anew. The horror and the heartache of her formative years had faded into the background. The past had become but a memory, still painful to her but something that no longer dictated every aspect of her life.

She was a different person nowadays, more self-assured, carefree, and not so eager to please to the detriment of her dignity. She'd found her niche, a place where she fitted in, a place where she was openly appreciated by the people around her rather than treated like the resident freak. It felt like home and yet it wasn't. It was one of the furthest places from home that she could get, but she'd never felt more alive and at peace with herself.

Tucking her towel more securely around her body, she wandered through into the adjoining bedroom and picked up the folded piece of paper on her dresser. She opened it, smoothed it flat and re-read the message written in Danny's scrawling script. It was short and to the point:

'_19.30 Tonight. Wear something pretty.'_

He'd surreptitiously pressed the note into her hand after their de-brief with Mac on conclusion of the aptly-named 'Roach Brooch' case, before striding off down the corridor as if nothing untoward had happened. Supremely conscious of the clandestine note hidden in her curled-up palm, she'd struggled to focus her attention on her conversation with her boss as he accompanied her to the Trace Lab to check up on the progress of another case as a result. It was with some relief, therefore, that she finally escaped the all-too-observant Mac Taylor and snuck off to the restroom to read the tantalising invitation from the colleague who made her heart beat just that little bit faster than the norm.

Here she was then, several hours later, on the brink of a new chapter in her life. Humming contentedly to herself, she crossed to her closet to select something suitable to wear. Something pretty, Danny had specified. Unfortunately - given the rather sporadic nature of her social life since she'd moved to New York - that was easier said than done right now.

Her closet contained a succession of smart work outfits, together with the more casual jeans and tops that she wore on her days off. A few dressier items were dotted here and there among these staples but that pretty much made up the entirety of her wardrobe. 'Date wear' was somewhat thin on the ground at present.

She needed to go shopping, she decided. Danny may like her for who she was, but there was no harm in making that little bit of extra effort to look good. That was part of the fun of dating after all. It was already nearly seven o'clock, however, which meant that tonight she'd have to make do with the clothes she had. Her eyes fell on the dress hanging at the back of her closet and her lips quirked up into a small smile of satisfaction. Reaching inside the closet's darkened interior, she withdrew the garment and laid it out on her bed to contemplate its suitability.

Okay so Danny had seen her in it once before - when she'd self-consciously tottered down the subway tracks in her high heels after her abortive opera trip. His eyes had widened as he'd taken in her incongruous appearance – formal wear complete with processing kit - and she remembered his low drawl even now.

"Well hello, Miss Monroe."

He'd been teasing her, but looking back on it, she realised she should have also recognised the very masculine appreciation in his tone as the honeyed words rolled off his tongue. Somehow though, she'd missed it and had simply been embarrassed by his comment. Not tonight however. Tonight she would take any compliment he chose to bestow on her in the manner in which it was intended and reciprocate in kind. Tonight she was going to collect the kiss she'd been craving for more months than she cared to remember if it was the last thing she did.

Sitting down in front of her dresser to blow-dry her hair, her mind rewound over the life-altering events of the past few weeks. When Danny had turned up out of the blue at the trial in Montana, she'd been blown away by his gesture of support. They'd escaped the courtroom shortly after she'd finished giving her testimony and driven to the small apartment that she'd rented to escape her family's overwhelming concern. Once there, they'd talked for hours.

All the things she hadn't felt able to confide in him before, now came tumbling out of her like a geyser. Her friends' murderers, the post-traumatic stress she'd suffered as a result, as well as her need to find some salvation by being a part of the criminal justice system herself. Everything. And he'd listened and understood, behaving throughout like the friend she already knew and the man that she was starting to fall in love with.

Eventually, she'd run out of steam and her confessional words had dried up. While Danny had excused himself to the bathroom, she'd laid her head down on the sofa arm and wearily closed her eyes. She had been asleep within seconds and had woken up the following morning, tucked under the covers in her bedroom and dressed in just her t-shirt and panties. She'd flushed with embarrassment when she realised Danny must have put her to bed, but then laughed at herself for being so self-conscious. This was the man that she was preparing to allow into her life in most intimate way possible and her shyness was nonsensical in the wake of that.

The call from the state prosecutor had come just as they were finishing up breakfast and they'd driven back to the courtroom to hear the verdict. The outcome had thankfully gone their way and put an end to the agony of the previous few months once and for all. She'd wanted to shoot those pesky reporters for interrupting her and Danny when they did though. After pushing him away so effectively for the previous few months, it had taken a lot of guts for her to lean in for that kiss.

Much to her chagrin, the charged moment had passed by the time they managed to outrun the melee of press, and they'd shared a hurried lunch at a diner across the street instead. Afterwards, they'd driven to the airport for Danny's flight back to New York, and it was there that they finally broached the subject that they'd both avoided up until then…

_**Flashback…**_

"_So Montana," Danny said, turning to her with a speculative twinkle in his eye._

"_So," she echoed with a small, answering smile._

"_Do I finally get that date when you get home?"_

_Her smile broadened. "I'm game if you are," she responded lightly._

"_There's a condition," he countered warningly and her eyebrows rose in question._

"_What's that?"_

_He leaned in close until their noses were almost touching. "You don't stand me up."_

_Lindsay's stomach coiled with sudden guilt. "I didn't mean…" she started only to be cut off when he placed a silencing finger over her lips._

"_That's the condition. Do we have a deal?"_

_Lindsay relaxed. He was offering her a fresh start, one without consequence. He'd forget about her past misdemeanour if she did. "Yes," she agreed softly._

"_Good," Danny responded with a nod of satisfaction, then without asking for her permission, curled his finger under her chin, tilted her face upwards and bent to place a soft, gentle kiss on her upturned lips…_

_**End of Flashback…**_

And that had been it, their very first kiss. Lindsay had felt it right down to the tips of her toes, but it hadn't been nearly enough. It had been right for that particular moment in time, but she wanted more. Their first kiss had been a promise of what was to come, but the second would finally seal the deal between them.

Which was something that she hoped would happen tonight because she was going crazy with anticipation. Her stomach was a mass of butterflies and her thoughts were never far from the memory of Danny's warm lips pressed firmly against hers. He'd turned her into the High School Senior she never was – a girl who couldn't wait for the prom date of her life to start.

Danny had been working when she'd flown back into New York after visiting with her family for a few days, so this was the first chance they'd had to be properly alone with each other since. The direction their relationship would take from here on rested on the success or failure of tonight's date. Lindsay still wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to happen. She guessed she'd just have to go with the flow and see how it all panned out.

Forty-five minutes later and she was finally ready. She surveyed herself in the mirror and experienced the worrying thought that maybe she'd overdone it somewhat. Her hair fell in soft, wavy curls around her face, while the blue and black satin dress she wore emphasised the slender but womanly figure that she usually kept under wraps. Her make-up was subtle but showcased her big brown eyes to their best advantage. She'd painted her toe-nails a pale pink colour before slipping her feet into a pair of high-heel, open-toed shoes. An azure-blue quartz teardrop necklace, small diamond stud earrings and a spritz of her favourite perfume completed the effect.

What had Danny said all those months ago during that uncomfortable conversation in the corridor outside the locker room though? Just a few drinks, some laughs? Perhaps this made her appear a little too eager for his affections. Maybe she should get changed into something less formal…

_Ding… Dong…_

The doorbell rang then and whatever doubts she was experiencing flew from her mind in a moment of blind panic. Oh my god, this was it. It was finally going to happen. Like a lamb to the slaughter, she approached the door, peered through the peep-hole and then let Danny into her apartment once she'd satisfied herself that there wasn't some axe-murderer waiting for her in the corridor outside.

"Hey!"

Her words stuck in her throat and she just stood there like a deer in headlights while he gave her a deliberate once-over. "Wow!" was his eventual verdict and she silently exulted at the slightly hoarse note to his voice.

"Pretty enough for you?" she asked archly, recovering her lost wits enough to banter with him. That was more like it – couldn't let him get the upper hand now, could she?

"Do I have to take you to the opera?" he countered with a sly grin and she laughed. He'd remembered and that pleased her.

She shook her head. "No – don't tell anyone this, okay? But I thought it was kind of dull. I was glad when my beeper went off."

She'd been nothing of the sort, but she couldn't quite see Danny at the opera somehow and it did no harm to make him think that her date had bombed - which it pretty much had, just not for the reasons she was giving. Matthew had been too well… nice, she supposed. He was effortlessly polite, held doors open for her, had generally treated her like a princess but she'd been bored to tears.

Where was the teasing camaraderie? The slightly risqué remarks? The broad New York accent? Even back then, Danny had been the central man in her life and nobody else had compared. It had annoyed the hell out of her. She hadn't wanted to like him, but she couldn't help herself in the end. The chemistry between them was just too difficult to ignore. She'd thought she wanted sophisticated, but she was a 'beer and buffalo burgers' girl when it came down to it and Danny suited that to a T.

He grinned at her and she felt herself smiling back rather foolishly. "So, where are you taking me?" she asked.

"Nowhere," he told her and then laughed when her eyebrows arched in mock outrage. "Not _that_," he assured her with an unconscious glance at the closed door of her bedroom.

A beat, a salacious grin, and then: "Although, if you're offering…"

"Dream on, Messer," she shot back. "You've gotta at least pay for dinner."

"Is that all?" he enquired innocently, and then let out a particularly wicked laugh when she aimed a censorious slap his way.

Lindsay laughed along with him. She wasn't a prude but rushing into relationships wasn't her style and she was fairly certain he knew that by now. Still, it wouldn't hurt to make that clear.

"Danny…" she began a little hesitantly.

"One date at a time, yeah?" he interrupted and she relaxed.

"Yeah," she replied softly.

He nodded. "So – is the kitchen through there?"

He indicated the partially closed door to his left and Lindsay frowned. "Yes but…"

She broke off, belatedly noticing the large paper shopping bag in his hand. Her eyes widened. "You're going to cook dinner?"

"Don't sound so surprised," he said as he went through into the off-shot kitchenette.

Lindsay followed him and watched as he dumped the bag on the counter and began to unload it. "You made me get all dressed up and you're not even gonna take me out?" she asked with playful reproach.

"Yes," he answered, not sounding the least bit ashamed about it. "Drink?" he offered, placing a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine on the counter and pushing them towards her.

Lindsay picked up the wine and smiled as she read the label. 'Chianti' and not the cheap stuff either. "You have hidden depths, Detective Messer," she said playfully.

He smiled at her but didn't otherwise reply. He seemed to be waiting for something. She set the wine back down on the counter, pulled a couple of bottles of beer free from the pack, popped the tops, and then handed one to him before setting the neck of other against her lips and taking a long swallow of the cool liquid.

"So, did I pass the test?" she enquired as she lowered the bottle from her mouth.

Danny drank from his own bottle and then clinked it against hers. "With honours."

"Well, I always was a Grade A student," she remarked offhandedly and he laughed.

Leaning against the counter, she watched in silence as he set his beer aside and began to sort through the myriad of ingredients that he'd just laid out on the counter-top. It gave her the chance to take in his appearance while he was otherwise engaged, and her eyes wandered leisurely over his lean form as she surveyed his attire.

While not as dressed up as she, he'd clearly made an effort - the indigo-blue shirt he wore was smart and stylish, even if he had casually folded back the cuffs to reveal the lower half of his forearms. A silver and black watch she'd never seen before circled his left wrist, while a braided leather thong decorated his right. His moustache and goatee were shaved close, his ubiquitous dog-tags hung in the hollow of his throat and the jet-black jeans he wore looked well-made and expensive. They also hugged his butt rather nicely, she noted, as he turned away and bent to stash some of the food he'd brought in the refrigerator.

"Hey Montana? If you've finished checking out my ass maybe you could set the table?"

Danny's voice cut into her abstracted reverie and she jumped, blushing furiously at getting caught staring. He was looking over his shoulder at her, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I was not…," she stuttered and then stopped. "You're delusional," she huffed and then spun on her heel and beat a hasty retreat into the living room.

His low chuckle followed her and she brought her hands up to her burning cheeks, trying to contain her embarrassment. She blew out her breath between her lips in an attempt to re-establish her shattered equilibrium. She was losing it, she was sure of it. He'd finally driven her insane with that sexy Big Apple charm of his, had her behaving like a gauche teenager despite her more advanced age. Why didn't he just get on with it and kiss her already, she lamented. That wasn't too much to ask was it?

Trying to focus her brain on something other than his mouth on hers, she dimmed the lights in the living room and then set the small table in the corner near the window with her best china and cutlery from the cupboard against the wall. She also found a pair of squat silver candles in a drawer and positioned them as the centrepiece. As she leaned over to light them, a pair of warm hands landed on her hips and she almost dropped the match she was holding and set fire to the entire table.

"Danny…" she protested as she quickly shook the match to extinguish it.

She twisted around to face him and found herself so close that she could practically see the pores on his face. The intent in his blue eyes was clear and she clutched at the front of his shirt to steady herself as his mouth descended on hers. The kiss was soft and exploratory at first, but quickly deepened in texture as their mutual passion caught fire. Lindsay closed her eyes and surrendered herself to it, wrapping her arms around his back as he tangled the fingers of one hand in her hair.

"Sorry," he murmured against her lips when he finally released her. "I couldn't wait any longer. The anticipation was killing me."

Lindsay let out a soft giggle and pressed her face into the hollow of his throat, breathing in of his musky masculine scent. He stroked his fingers through her hair and ran the palm of his other hand soothingly up and down her back and she felt the tension slowly drain out of her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly into her hair.

"Uh-huh," she murmured against his skin. "Just processing."

He chuckled. "Damn, we sure know how to drag things out for dramatic effect, don't we?"

The guilt returned at his words. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he soothed. "I get it, I do." He pulled back from her and looked earnestly into her face. "Maybe I didn't at first, but that's history now. It doesn't matter."

She smiled at him and touched the side of his face with the back of her hand in silent thanks. "So, are you going to feed me or not?" she asked a beat later.

"Way to ruin the moment, Montana," he remarked as he stepped away.

She grinned as he turned back towards the kitchen. "You gotta work for it, cowboy," she told him as she followed on his heels.

"Don't I know it," he complained good-naturedly and she childishly stuck her tongue out at him.

"I must be completely insane," he said with a shake of his head as he picked up the knife he'd abandoned earlier and continued chopping the vegetables for their meal.

Lindsay climbed up onto the stool opposite him and rested her chin in her hand. "That makes two of us," she replied and then giggled as he flicked a stray mushroom at her in protest.

With the tension dissipated, the atmosphere became much more relaxed and the next couple of hours passed in a blur of easy conversation and flirtatious banter. When Danny went into the kitchen to fetch dessert, Lindsay drew in a deep breath and savoured the warm, fuzzy glow that flowed like honey in her veins.

She was happy, she realised. Danny may not have kissed her again, but he was being openly tactile with her. A squeeze of her fingers there, a touch of her face there - her skin burned from those brief, glancing touches and she knew she was having the same effect on him. When she'd absently reached out and straightened the dog-tags at his throat, she'd felt his involuntary shudder and the heat of the gaze that he turned on her had caused her spine to tingle.

It was nice; a different kind of anticipation to the drawn-out tension of the last few weeks. This was fun. This was something that she hadn't experienced in a long time and she was content to wallow in it for a while. Getting romantically involved with a work colleague wasn't something she could take lightly. Her career was important to her and that meant that she was more cautious than she might have been otherwise. She trusted Danny, but she needed some more time to adjust to the change in the relationship between them before she took the next step.

Somehow he seemed to understand that, maybe he felt it too, she didn't know. What she did know was that he would respect her and not push her into anything she wasn't ready for. She was grateful for that. It meant that she could take this at her own pace and not worry about the consequences of doing so. Not inherently a patient man, her Danny, but for some reason, with her, he had an endless supply of the stuff. It was a gift she wasn't sure she entirely deserved, but one that he was willing to bestow on her all the same.

He returned holding two long-stemmed cocktail glasses filled to the brim with what looked like chocolate mousse. The presentation was impeccably professional. Artfully arranged white and dark chocolate curls and caramelised sugar strands decorated the swirled surface of the dessert and the glasses were frosted.

"Did you make that?" she asked curiously. His cooking was good, but the other courses had lacked the finesse of the concoction before her.

Danny hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, a friend of mine did. He owns a restaurant." He set the glasses down on the table and re-seated himself. "The Food of the Goddesses."

Lindsay laughed. "What?"

Danny grinned. "Seriously. That's what the dish is called."

"Isn't that a little…?"

"Pretentious? Yeah. Not completely without foundation though." He picked up a spoon. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

Danny made an indelicate sound of frustration. "Humour me, Montana."

She laughed and then obediently closed her eyes.

"This is apparently the best way to experience this…" he continued.

"Yeah, I bet you tell that to all the girls."

She felt his smile even though she couldn't see it. "No, only you. Open up," he commanded.

Lindsay parted her lips and seconds later felt the metallic coolness of the spoon that he slid into her mouth. The thick, sweet, chocolate-y concoction melted on her tongue and slid down her throat like ambrosia. The Food of the Goddesses indeed.

"Mmm," she murmured silkily as Danny withdrew the spoon. She licked her chocolate-coated lips. "I take it back. Your friend may well be worthy of his monumental ego."

"And I think I need a cold shower."

Danny's voice was somewhat strained and Lindsay's eyes snapped open. She grinned at him. "I preferred the bugs though," she concluded solemnly. "Now _that_ was inspired."

"And this was unimaginative?" he countered.

"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly. It has its merits."

"Which would be…?" Danny prompted.

Something made her brave. Maybe because she knew if she threw herself over the edge of the precipice, he'd be there to catch her. She smiled coyly at him and then boldly slid out of her chair and into his lap. Hooking her arm around his neck, she bent to press her lips against his…

Long minutes later, she opened her eyes to find herself reclining against the sofa cushions with Danny stretched out comfortably alongside her, his spine pressed firmly against the sofa back. He had his head propped up on his hand and was looking down at her with a wicked glint in his eye.

She glanced towards the table a few metres away and then transferred her gaze back to his and raised her eyebrows. "Smooth moves," she commented, placing a hand over the arm that he'd slung casually across her middle as she snuggled in a little closer to him.

"I've had practice," he told her in a gravely tone of voice.

"Yeah, I _bet_ you have," she responded, although she had long since learned that his reputation as a player, while not entirely inaccurate, was greatly exaggerated nonetheless. He had the greatest respect for the people around him and the casual indifference required to make it as a bona fide Casanova just didn't track with the person she knew him to be.

He smiled at her and she reached up to touch his lips. "I don't usually go this far on a first date."

"We already know each other, Montana. I don't think you've sullied your squeaky-clean reputation too much."

Lindsay tensed up at that and her gaze slid away from his as unwelcome confusion filled her. Danny tightened his arm around her waist in response. "What's the matter?"

Her reply was too quick, too clipped. "Nothing."

His silence said it all.

"I just… Are there any drive-ins in New York?"

Danny frowned in confusion at her sudden change in direction."What?"

"I never really did that," she rushed on, "You know, the whole High School dating thing."

"What? You mean no hormonal teenage boy ever tried to get into the pretty, smart girl's pants?"

"No – unless it was for a bet."

"A bet?" Danny reached out and forced her to look at him. He was shocked by the dark pain he saw in her beautiful brown eyes. "I don't get it." She'd shown him pictures of her and her friends while he'd been in Montana. She might not have been the cheerleader type but she'd not been unattractive.

"I was fifteen when it happened, Danny – and I guess I had a fairly conservative up-bringing. About all I'd managed till then was a few pecks on the lips and a bit of hand-holding. Afterwards – well, I was persona non-grata – the freak who'd survived the massacre and gone a bit loopy in the process. It's only when I went to college that I finally escaped the stigma. I didn't start properly dating until then and dating in college is not the same as High School."

"Lindsay…" He reached out and hugged her close. She clung to him desperately for a moment as if she was frightened he was going to disappear. He made a decision then and there. "We're going to do this right," he assured her quietly.

She lifted her face from where it was nestled against his chest. "What? I don't…" Her eyes widened as realisation dawned. "You're going to take me to the drive-in?"

It was a metaphor but he played into it with his reply. "And attempt to make it to second base in the back seat."

She giggled and he smiled at the sound. She regarded him rather seriously then though, her brown eyes solemn. "Okay," she agreed, "On one condition."

"Go on," he encouraged her.

"That we keep it real. It's a nice fantasy, Danny, but it's still a fantasy and I don't want to get too caught up in it. We're adults not teenagers."

Danny nodded, understanding what she was saying. "Okay, we'll make it third base," he amended, and then laughed when she punched him lightly on the chest in retaliation.

"Danny!"

"And beers instead of milkshakes," he continued, "A Knick's game instead of a High School one…"

"And I'll try to wheedle my way into working cases with the hot guy," Lindsay joined in the game, "Instead of offering to tutor him for class or something."

"Hey! Watch it, Miss Smarty-pants. Danny Messer never needed any tutoring."

Lindsay laughed and he couldn't resist planting another soft kiss on those smiling lips.

"Danny?" she murmured when they drew apart.

"Mmm?"

"This _is_ real, isn't it?"

"Feels pretty damn real to me," he replied, determindly pulling her close again

"Me too," she whispered, reaching up to curl her hand around the back of his neck as his mouth descended on hers. "Me too."

_**Several months later…**_

Danny Messer stood in front of his bathroom mirror contemplating his slightly blurred reflection in the shiny glass. His glasses were… well, somewhere in the other room. He just wasn't quite sure where right now. He'd lost track of time a little, his focus elsewhere.

He twisted the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, then turned and made his way back into his apartment's main living area, scooping up the pillows and bed linen he'd retrieved from the top shelf of his closet along the way. Stepping carefully around the discarded clothing, pool balls and cues, he rejoined his girlfriend on the bright green felt and arranged the bed-clothes to provide them with a more comfortable resting place.

Lindsay snuggled up to him as he lay back against the pillows and he curled an arm around her shoulders as she rested her head over his heart. They'd not spoken a word since that earth-shattering moment a few minutes before, but strangely the silence wasn't uncomfortable.

Gazing up at the ceiling, he absently stroked his fingers through the silken strands of her hair. Although he'd been practically prepared, this had been totally unexpected. He thought they'd plan it like High School kids did the night of their Senior Prom, but it had crept up on them unawares.

He'd heard it in her voice when she'd loftily informed him, "You owe me a hundred dollars," seen it in her eyes when she shook her head, refusing to allow him to wait until pay-day to settle their bet.

In the end, the consummation of their relationship had happened naturally and he was glad of that. These past few weeks, he'd given her the High School romance that she'd missed out on, but tonight had been born from the adults they were. Playing pool, drinking shots, placing and settling bets with high stakes…

Lindsay shifted against him and her voice broke the calm stillness. "Well, I never did that in High School," she remarked casually and Danny felt the laughter bubble up and out of him in response.

Lindsay's mirth joined his as she manoeuvred herself so that she could look up into his eyes. He reached down and drew her up his body so that her face was level with his. She kissed him, slowly and sweetly, and then re-asked the question she'd asked of him on their first date.

"This _is_ real, isn't it?" she queried softly.

"It's real," he told her, and then rolled her underneath him and proceeded to demonstrate the truth of that fact with everything that he possessed…

_**Well, that's it folks! Hope you liked it.**_


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